How to keep your kids safe while on a bicycle?
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Cycling is an exciting sport for many children of all ages, and it is also a way of exercising and learning how to care for their bikes. However, along with the excitement come the inevitable injuries. Still, there are many ways to keep children safe while riding their bikes. Below are some of those methods.
Wearing a helmet
Making your kids wear a helmet when riding a bike is absolutely essential. It helps protect your child’s head in case of an accident. As such, it prevents many injuries or deaths in extreme cases. Finding a proper helmet can be, at times, challenging for parents. At times, it may require you as a parent to exercise patience when looking for an ideal helmet. It is recommended that you choose a helmet that fits well on the head and should cover all parts of your child’s head. This is important to prevent the helmet from moving while your child is riding his or her bike.
It is estimated that 26,000 children endure different forms of injury while riding their bikes every year. Besides, it is also worrying to note that only half of the children wear helmets while riding their bikes. This brings about the need to wear a helmet at all times, even when just peddling around the house.
Always inspect the brakes
Over a given period, brakes wear out, and their effectiveness reduces. Therefore, before your child starts their ride, you need to perform an inspection to assert that all the brakes are working in the right way. When checking, make sure that the brake pad comes into contact with the disk brakes when you squeeze the handlebar levers. If you find that the brakes are not responding in the right manner, you must fix the bike if possible or take it to a shop that can replace the parts.
Make sure the tires are inflated
If your child wants to go for bike riding, always check that the tires have the right pressure. Tires should feel firm and strong when fully inflated. This means that they do not have holes that make air escape. If you are inflating your child’s bike and you hear some hissing sound, that means the tire has a hole. To make sure that your child is safe, it is important to patch the hole until it feels firm again. After that, give the bike to your child for a test ride to make sure that the air pressure is enough when cycling for long-distance or just doing rounds. Riding a bike whose tires are not fixed may expose your child to many dangers, and it can destroy the bike reams increasing costs. The correct air pressure, while less important, can prevent flats. Always check the tire markings that should indicate adequate air pressure.
Make sure your child wears protective clothing
As discussed before, the helmet is a crucial part of the cycling gear and should be used all times when your child is riding your bike. Other pieces of the gear include reflective clothing, gloves, rider shoes, knee caps, and jacket. Reflective clothing is essential when your child is riding on a road used by vehicles. Gloves help your child hold on the handlebar grip. Also, knee caps protect his or her knees in case of an accident while shoes ensure friction for comfortable riding. To provide 99 percent child safety, you must purchase the right riding gear for your kids.
Make sure the seat is leveled
Before your child takes his or her bike for a ride, make sure that you have leveled the seat. If you don’t know what bike size she or he needs, do not hesitate to ask an expert.
Leveling the seat makes sure that the child enjoys a smooth ride. If the bicycle your child is using brakes using the backpedals, make sure that the pedals are fixed in the right manner. If your child cannot be able to reach the pedal stroke too, you should make sure you adjust the seat to ensure proper cycling. To make sure it is safer, your child must put both feet down while on his bike for stability. Since kids grow so fast, it is wise that you keep checking the level of the seat and adjusting it for your child’s comfort.
If you want your child to ride bikes and fully enjoy it, always ensure safety first. Practice the right protective measures and buy the right gear for your child. Although your kids might resist wearing helmets and taking precautions, they’ll be thankful you did the worrying for them.